Taiwan puts opium under a colonial monopoly

The Japanese Governor-General's Taiwan Opium Ordinance of 21 January 1897 made the colonial government the only lawful importer, maker and seller of opium. Users had to be certified by a doctor and licensed; the ordinance was aimed at Taiwanese residents, while Japanese settlers remained under a stricter ban. The monopoly began on 1 April 1897 and became the colonial administration's first monopoly and a major source of revenue. Cannabis was not named in the ordinance.^[1]